Emma Raducanu shared what she plans to avoid doing when she faces Aryna Sabalenka in their upcoming third-round match at Wimbledon 2025.
Raducanu has had an impressive start at the grass-court Slam. She began by defeating fellow Brit Mingge Xu in the first round and then confidently secured her spot in the third round with a straight-sets win over 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová, with a 6-3, 6-3 score.
Emma Raducanu Reveals Her Strategy for Upcoming Third-Round Clash With Aryna Sabalenka
After her victory over Vondroušová, Raducanu was asked during the post-match press conference whether she would adopt an aggressive approach similar to her previous match to overcome the World No. 1.
“Yeah, I mean, I definitely think, you know, playing Aryna, you know, she’s number one in the world for a reason. You can’t really do nothing or give nothing balls to her,” the Brit said.
Raducanu also explained why she won’t try to overdo things, pointing out that the Belarusian already has the upper hand for two key reasons. The 22-year-old said:
“I’m going to have to be aggressive, but pick my moments and not kind of be overly, because I think you can fall into that trap too and try and, you know, I don’t think I’m going to go out there and outpower her just, you know, like size-wise and power-wise, but I think I’m going to have to try and be creative as well.”
This season has been going better than 2024 in terms of Grand Slam performances for the Brit. She reached the round of 32 at the Australian Open and advanced to the round of 64 at the French Open. Naturally, expectations will be higher for Raducanu to deliver a strong showing at the grass-court Slam.
‘It’s Going To Be a Massive Challenge’ — Emma Raducanu Ahead of Her Match Against Aryna Sabalenka
Raducanu, who made it to the round of 16 in last year’s Wimbledon, was asked by the press if she felt ‘unlucky’ to be facing the top seed in the women’s singles event in her upcoming third-round match.
“Yeah, I think having won today against Markéta, she’s also a really top opponent, so that gives me a lot of confidence for my level,” Raducanu said, “But, of course, Aryna is number one in the world, has been so dominant in the women’s game over the last few years. So I know it’s going to be a massive challenge. I’m going to have to play some really good tennis, but for the rest of the evening, I just want to savour that one and enjoy it.”
The Brit added:
“But as to being unlucky, I think you want to play the best. You’re going to have to play them at some point if you want to win one of these tournaments. So even though it’s early in the tournament, I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
On the other hand, the Belarusian secured a first-round win over the Canadian Carson Branstine and followed it up with a victory against Czech player Marie Bouzková in the second round, earning her place in the third round.
Sabalenka leads the head-to-head against Raducanu 1-0. Their only previous meeting took place in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last year, where the former won 6-3, 7-5. It promises to be an exciting match to watch at Centre Court on July 4.
More: Aryna Sabalenka vs Emma Raducanu Wimbledon 2025 Preview — Head-to-Head and Prediction
